News
Local

The effort to create a community archives for Belleville and Hastings County has entered the home stretch.

A few dozen supporters were present for Thursday's launch of the Hastings County Historical Society's Discover Your Treasures capital campaign. It was held at the new campaign headquarters at 208 Front St. just north of Bridge Street.

"We're off and running for the goal line," said Richard Hughes, acting president of the Hastings County Historical Society. He also heads the archives advisory committee of delegates from each partner in the archives: the historical society and the councils of Belleville and Hastings County.

The campaign has some high-profile help. Prolific author and journalist Peter C. Newman was introduced as the campaign's honorary chairman.

"It's essential to provide this sanctuary for the documents that validate what we have been," said Newman.

City and county councils have each committed $200,000 toward the $1-million goal; the society has put up $210,000 from fundraising and donations.

Campaigners hope to raise the remaining $400,000 in about eight months, though they acknowledged Thursday it could take longer.

The city and county already own the former Irish Hall on at 315 Church St. and plans to convert it into an archive centre are already underway. The capital campaign funds will be used to renovate and equip it.

It will be home to the society's vast collection of irreplaceable local documents, 50,000 photos and one million photo negatives, plus city and county files.

Architect Ray Zaback said they'll be stored on "a forest of shelves" on the second floor; a work room for researchers and city archivist Sharon White will be created on the main level.

"Let's get this project done together as a community," Belleville Mayor Neil Ellis said. He also delivered a $2,500 donation from Veridian Connections, of which he is a board member.

Tyendinaga Township Reeve Rick Phillips, speaking on behalf of Hastings County council, said county records dating back as far as 1842 will be donated to the archives. The county is also donating 200 copies of the Heritage Atlas of Hastings County to be used in fundraising.

"It's satisfying when you get to a day like this," said Orland French, the historical society's president and campaign executive chairman. He's spent years heading the archives mission, often zipping around the province to study other archive centres.

Newman, meanwhile, said he and his wife, Alvy, have just moved to Belleville - in part because he's writing a book on the United Empire Loyalists. Newman said he'll conduct about 200 interviews and all his research will be donated to the archives.

Research from his other 23 books are kept at Hamilton's McMaster University.

The writer spent 10 years using archives while writing about the Hudson's Bay Company. He spoke of the way archives help later generations experience history.

"Memories dim and they must be renewed," Newman said.

"You sort of relive it," he said. "I even love the smell of the paper.

Newman recalled reading James Isham's archived account of a 1733 plague of mosquitoes at York Factory. Squished to the page was one of the bugs.

"Talk about authenticity," said Newman.

The archives have a tentative opening date of spring 2012. They'll be made available to the public, from family researchers to students to academics.